Reviews - Station Eleven | The StoryGraph

29.8k reviews for:

Station Eleven

Emily St. John Mandel

4.16 AVERAGE

kennerz's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I went into this book knowing virtually nothing about it other then I thought it was based on the COVID-19 pandemic. Whew, this author had foresight, and this read felt post-traumatic at times.

Content Warnings

katherine_leaves's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I absolutely loved this book, I wish I could read it again for the first time. Loved the time-jumping narrative, I understood and sympathised with every character, and I enjoyed how their tangential connections were explored. So excited to read more from this author

sirensongreads's review against another edition

3.0

While I did enjoy this one, I found myself still wanting some more. I think part of this is my fault as I thought we were going to have some more scifi influences.

I can see why people enjoy this book, however, I do prefer a bit more plot in my books. This one was much more character-driven, though I didn't connect with the characters enough to feel fully sucked into the story.

I also don't advise people NOT to read books, but the first couple chapters have some detailed descriptions of people learning about a flu-like/SARS-like pandemic, panic buying, and losing their life from this illness. With COVID still being a reality in our world, please use caution when picking this book up.

jomendi23's review against another edition

5.0

What a gorgeous book. I watched the series a few years ago, before knowing the story was first a book. I think the series lost some of the hope and subtle whimsy captured in the writing. Being set during /just after a time that almost ended humanity, this book could have contained egregious violence, depression, and darkness. But this book was so light, focusing on relationships, community and the unseen threads that tie us together. It reminded me, loosely, of the Road (Cormac McCarthy); the focus was love.

timeywriter's review against another edition

5.0

Often when I read books, like this one, for my book club I have small little post-it tabs that I use to mark spots that I enjoy. If a book is not great, the less tabs I have and vise versa. However, I found that I had not a single tab in this book and it was simply because I enjoyed it so, so much. Honestly, I was so enthralled with the whole of the novel, so pulled into the story, that I forgot about tabbing anything for I would have to tab everything.

Following the events leading up to and following the twenty years after the spread of a virus that wipes out most of the human population, this novel is a beautifully written piece filled with humanistic storytelling. Everything is set into motion when an actor dies of a heart attack on stage, in the days leading to the virus outbreak around the world, and what follows is a finely woven lace of human interaction. I absolutely adored how every character connects, that each life story is its own and yet linked with each other. And while this was post-apocalyptic, it never felt dystopian. There was a need for survival, yes, but there was also the aspect of things forgotten. I loved the museum created in the airport, of technology that no longer worked and magazines no longer printed. I found it incredible that the aspect of remembering that which came before was honored here, instead of entirely forgotten for the sake of a new form of survival or society. I also found it amazing that the heartache and the struggle that each character underwent, both before and after the virus hit, was both subtle and yet profound. Truly, this was a beautiful piece about the capabilities and strength of humans.

I'm not sure how I am going to contain myself during my book club, I have too much I will want to say about this book and I will have even more opinions from others to enhance my own. Ah, see, even outside these pages the beauty of human interaction and experience is present.